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Great Views of Forest & Sea - Cozy, Sunny, Waterfront Cottage

Great Views of Forest & Sea - Cozy, Sunny, Waterfront Cottage

This is the perfect vacation spot whether you're traveling thousands of miles or simply doing a stay-cation in Western Washington. Located on rural Vashon Island--situated strategically in Puget Sound between the cities of Seattle & Tacoma, this beautiful waterfront cottage allows you to soak up the rhythms of the forest & the sea and yet be close to the urban attractions of the area. Observe the rich bird life on land and the salmon, seals, river otters, porpoises and occasional whales as they swim & play in the waters at your front door.
The cottage is totally private from its neighbors but open to the sea. It has a cirque of large Douglas fir & Madrona trees to the north & east and is open to the view of Puget Sound, the Point Defiance Preserve and Gig Harbor to the south and southwest. All of the day rooms and one of the bedrooms afford views of the sound and of the ferry, Chetzemoka, which makes the run between Vashon and Pt Defiance each hour during the day. The cottage is hidden from the street above and affords wonderful privacy. At low tide you can cruise the beach and reward yourself with awesome views of Mt Rainier. Meteorologists will tell you that this sunny southern location gets an average of 10 inches less rain per year than the northern part of the island.
WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO GO TO THE COMMENTS SECTION BELOW AND READ WHAT PAST GUESTS HAVE SAID ABOUT THIS COTTAGE.
The 1200 sq ft cottage was completely renovated over the last several years and offers an array of outdoor living spaces, a beautiful bath and lovely bedrooms in addition to the charming kitchen, living & dining rooms. The side of the house has two sets of french doors which open onto two view decks (600 sf). There are numerous smaller viewing decks and a 500 sf patio at the water's edge. All these spaces feature comfortable, high quality outdoor furniture. You may never want to go indoors during your stay.
The stony beach is reached by descending a few steps from the property’s bulkhead. Fruit trees, grasses and landscaping have recently been added.
During the day you can observe the hummingbirds, tanagers, herons, eagles & other seabirds, along with the plentiful sealife. At night listen for the sounds of the animals drifting across the silence of Puget Sound from the Pt. Defiance Zoo. Beyond its natural beauty, Vashon Island also offers a thriving arts community and everyday amenities such as an excellent supermarket, bakeries and numerous restaurants. This is truly a splendid spot where you can relax on the shores of Puget Sound but be close to everything on island and from Olympia to Seattle.
FOR ADDITIONAL PHOTOS Click on 'Slide Show' under 'LINKS TO MORE INFORMATION'.
Keywords: cottage,waterfront,views, sunny

Overview

Details

Property

cottage

Sleeps

4

Bedrooms

2

Bathrooms

1

Minimum Stay

3 - 4 nights

About the property

Cottage, 2 Bedrooms + Other (See Description), 1 Bath, (Sleeps 4)

This is the perfect vacation spot whether you're traveling thousands of miles or simply doing a stay-cation in Western Washington. Located on rural Vashon Island--situated strategically in Puget Sound between the cities of Seattle & Tacoma, this beautiful waterfront cottage allows you to soak up the rhythms of the forest & the sea and yet be close to the urban attractions of the area. Observe the rich bird life on land and the salmon, seals, river otters, porpoises and occasional whales as they swim & play in the waters at your front door.

The cottage is totally private from its neighbors but open to the sea. It has a cirque of large Douglas fir & Madrona trees to the north & east and is open to the view of Puget Sound, the Point Defiance Preserve and Gig Harbor to the south and southwest. All of the day rooms and one of the bedrooms afford views of the sound and of the ferry, Chetzemoka, which makes the run between Vashon and Pt Defiance each hour during the day. The cottage is hidden from the street above and affords wonderful privacy. At low tide you can cruise the beach and reward yourself with awesome views of Mt Rainier. Meteorologists will tell you that this sunny southern location gets an average of 10 inches less rain per year than the northern part of the island.

WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO GO TO THE COMMENTS SECTION BELOW AND READ WHAT PAST GUESTS HAVE SAID ABOUT THIS COTTAGE.

The 1200 sq ft cottage was completely renovated over the last several years and offers an array of outdoor living spaces, a beautiful bath and lovely bedrooms in addition to the charming kitchen, living & dining rooms. The side of the house has two sets of french doors which open onto two view decks (600 sf). There are numerous smaller viewing decks and a 500 sf patio at the water's edge. All these spaces feature comfortable, high quality outdoor furniture. You may never want to go indoors during your stay.

The stony beach is reached by descending a few steps from the property’s bulkhead. Fruit trees, grasses and landscaping have recently been added.

During the day you can observe the hummingbirds, tanagers, herons, eagles & other seabirds, along with the plentiful sealife. At night listen for the sounds of the animals drifting across the silence of Puget Sound from the Pt. Defiance Zoo. Beyond its natural beauty, Vashon Island also offers a thriving arts community and everyday amenities such as an excellent supermarket, bakeries and numerous restaurants. This is truly a splendid spot where you can relax on the shores of Puget Sound but be close to everything on island and from Olympia to Seattle.

FOR ADDITIONAL PHOTOS Click on 'Slide Show' under 'LINKS TO MORE INFORMATION'.

About Bruce Woolverton

I've been living in Western Washington state for most of the last 30 years. In my family, we've always loved the feel of islands. In the summer, my siblings and I all live surrounded by water in places as various as eastern Canada and the Big Island of Hawaii. For me there's no place better than Vashon.

Bruce Woolverton purchased this cottage in 1989

Why Bruce Woolverton chose Puget Sound

When I first set foot on the property a friend was living here. As I sat on the steps going down to the water, soaking up the sun, breathing in the sea air and taking in the view, I thought the spot an absolutely perfect getaway. I still do. And our guests always remind us about just how special it really is.

A Charming Cottage - we'll be back

The views are wonderful, the cottage is charming and really nice, walking along the beach is great, and the ferry to Port Defiance Park is a stone’s throw away enabling you leave the car at home and to walk on and walk off. And when you aren’t actually using the ferry it’s fun to watch it come and go throughout the day. (We saw it crash into the ferry dock on one occasion.) Our host was very gracious and we’ll definitely want to come back again. Thanks, Bruce!

Restful, wonderful house!

We loved this house. It was comfy, personal,artistic, and we will definitely come again. And the window seat/bed, big enough for two to read on a rainy day while watching the ferries is great! For me the only challenge was the stairs both from the street down to the house and the long but beautiful stairs to the waterfront. If you have any hip or knee issues take this into consideration but for most people this only adds to the charm of the house. The decks are great with lots of comfortable outdoor seating. Vashon Island is very interesting with very good restaurants.

Adorable!

We stayed here for 3 nights in early March. It was super rainy so we weren't able to enjoy the outside patios however the views from inside are amazing. We enjoyed watching the ferries go back and forth right outside our window. There is also a humminbird feeder right outside a window of the little sitting area in the kitchen and it was lovely to drink coffee there in the AM and look for hummers. We cooked all of our meals in the nicely equipped kitchen and enjoyed the fact that there were even sharp knives to use. If you want a polished, new place, this is not the place for you. If you prefer a place with funky, comfortable charm you will love it here. Jana, Hanna and Janice

Delightful, cozy retreat

What a joy to enter into the world created by Tom and Bruce in their cabin by the sound. Perfectly appointed, pleasing to the eye, complete with readable books, hummingbird feeder, comfortable outdoor seating, and netflix should it come to that! Water views are everywhere, and the choice of outdoor spots from which to observe the sea creatures, birds and the ferry abound. We did not want to leave and can't wait for the next visit when we hope to stay longer.

Cozy Cottage on the water

This is our fifth stay on Vashon and our second stay at Clam Cove. Clam Cove is definitely our favorite with its three tiers of lovely outdoor space for relaxing or entertaining. You can enjoy your morning coffee on the upper deck, have dinner on the middeck and a glass of wine by the fire on the lower patio at the water's edge, all with beautiful views of the sound and local wildlife. During our stay we saw humming birds, deer, a pair of eagles, seals, otters and one evening we were entertained by a whale! Both the indoor dining area and living room have expansive views of the water where you can enjoy watching the ferry come and go even on rainy days. The living room is stocked with a generous compliment of books, music and some games for quiet relaxation. The cottage is located on the quiet side of the island but just steps from the Tacoma ferry. You are about a 10 minute drive from Burton Hamlet and Quartermaster Harbor where you can rent kayaks for an afternoon, 15 minutes from the famous Minglement coffee roaster and grocery and 20 minutes from downtown Vashon which boasts some wonderful little restaurants. You can also explore Maury Island and visit the lighthouse at Robinson Point, also no more than 20 minutes away. Seattle ferries are on the north end of the island for anyone wanting a day in the beautiful city of Seattle. We very much enjoyed our stay and are looking forward to staying again next year.

Very charming cottage a special place.

We were very pleased with our stay (even if the weather of Washington didn't completely cooperate) not the owners fault. We enjoyed the cottage charm and location however the stairs are a challenge if your knees are weak or hurting. We had a nice BBQ with locate friends who loved the cottage. The town of Vashon has all of the amenities you should need for a nice stay. They have a charming old fashion drug store with the nicest employees you could ask for. We would definitely stay again.

Submitted: Jul 3, 2016

Stayed: Jun 2016

Source: VRBO, from HomeAway

Owner's Response: Our cottage at Clam Cove has beautiful views and two large decks for great outdoor living. The house and decks are 18 steps down from the street. In addition, there is a lovely flagstone patio below at the property's waterfront.

Vashon Island is known for its arts & crafts and locavore (local food) movement. Characterized by a long New York Times article (March 30, 2012 Travel section) as a sort of 'Mayberry meets Burning Man' kind of place. Vashon never fails to surprise and delight in its cultural & lifestyle diversity!